The 31-Day Halloween Writing Challenge
by Silver Hyacinth
Summary: This is a challenge stretching all 31 days of October, with 31 days of Halloween-based prompts. Get ready to shiver! (When pairings are involved, main pairing is Gratsu, but there will most likely be a little LoLu thrown in.)
1. Day 1: Ghost

**A/N:** I've created a new challenge (which you can check out on my forum) called the 31-Day Halloween Writing Challenge. You can use it for anything, really, not just your OTP (which I'll be doing because I'm unoriginal). This is the first day, and the theme is "Ghost". If any of you guys want to participate in the challenge, just go to my forum, and all the days are laid out there. Anyway, let's get started with day 1! ^-^

* * *

 **Day One: Ghost**

* * *

"I'm not so sure about this anymore, Gray," Natsu whispered, his voice wavering. He swung his flashlight in a wide arc, the pale fluorescent beam cutting through the dark air and lighting up the dust motes as it illuminated the shadowy forms of old, dusty blue lockers.

"I told you a million times already that we wouldn't get caught," Gray replied, his flashlight beam crossing Natsu's as he walked in front of him to peer down the long, black hallway. "Stop being a scaredy-cat, would you?"

"I'm not scared!" Natsu protested weakly, glad the other boy couldn't see his shaking hand in the dark. "This is just stupid. Wouldn't you rather go to my house and watch a movie?"

"Tempting," Gray said, casting a glance back at him with a smile. "But no. C'mon, don't be so stiff! Let's explore a little."

"What's there to explore?" Natsu mumbled as Gray moved further down the hallway. "We've been going to this school for three years now. I think we've seen enough of it." Gray shot an exasperated look back at him before grabbing him by the hand and towing him along.

"Everything looks different at night, don't you think? It's cooler this way."

Natsu shrugged. He didn't particularly care how cool it looked: It was creepy and cold and he wanted to go home and watch Netflix instead. In fact, there were _a_ _million_ other things he could be doing on a Saturday night, but _of course_ he'd let Gray drag him along to their _school_ , of all places. He could never say no to the other boy when he looked at him with those serious, slate-blue eyes.

"Your hand's really cold," Gray noted, slowing his pace to match Natsu's and looking over at him. "I knew you were scared!" he teased, grinning, his teeth stark white against the black around them. That was another thing; the darkness. Ever since he was a kid, Natsu had hated the dark. It left too much to the imagination, with all it's shadows buried inside deeper, darker shadows, all of it so _black_ and seeming to shift in front of his eyes, even though he knew it wasn't really moving.

"I'm not scared," he repeated adamantly, giving Gray's hand a squeeze in retaliation for the jibe. "It's just cold in here. I want to go home."

But Gray wouldn't have it, the stubborn prick. "No way. We've come this far; we've at least got to see the gym before we go. After all, they've got all those huge windows in there." When Natsu said nothing, he squeezed his hand gently. "Come on. It'll be lighter in there, and after we see it, I promise we can go."

Natsu sighed loudly, knowing already what he was going to say. "Okay, _fine_."

Gray grinned at him and picked up his pace, tugging slightly on Natsu's arm to get him to speed up. "Thank you. Now let's go!" Natsu allowed himself to be dragged, glancing around warily at their pitch-black surroundings. The only light offered was from the small windows at the very end of the hallway, allowing a dim square of moonlight through, which shone a full gray on the worn linoleum floor.

The gym doors made an eerie creaking sound as Gray pushed them open, the bristles along the bottom making a _scritch_ ing sound as they brushed against the polished wooden floor. The smell of lemon-scented floor cleaner and the rubber of old basketballs filled Natsu's nose, and memories of past gym-classes, shoes squeaking against the floor, balls swishing into nets, and the shouts of energized peers, filling his mind.

It was lighter there, as Gray had promised, and moonlight shone down from the wide glass panes set into the ceiling, along with the expansive windows built in the three outside walls. The pale light created distorted shapes in the wood, and the remaining shadows cowered and danced in the corners of the gym.

"Okay, it's creepier in here," Natsu decided, spinning on his heel and making a grab for the door-handle. Gray grabbed him by the collar and towed him back, rolling his eyes. "C'mon, Natsu, just a few minutes and then we can—" He paused, tilting his head to the side with a slight frown. "Did you hear that?"

A shiver raced up Natsu's spine even as he replied, "I swear to God, if you're messing with me, I'll kill you."

"I'm serious," Gray said, his voice lowering suddenly. "Listen."

Natsu rolled his eyes, but obliged Gray's whims, tilting his head to the side and brushing the hair away from his ears to listen. For the longest time, all he heard were sounds that clearly belonged there: The whir of some ancient machinery from somewhere deep in the bowels of the school; the creak of the floorboards as Gray shifted; and their two sets of breath, slightly rigid from excitement. But nothing else.

He was about to dismiss Gray's paranoia as just that, but suddenly he caught the whisperings of sound at the edges of his hearing. He paused, his brows furrowing as he concentrated on the snippets of noise. There was a faint scratching sound, almost like a fingernail against wood. And, of course, that immediately scared Natsu out of his wits.

"Okay, we're leaving," he announced, spinning on his heel and dragging him towards the door, ignoring his protests. He reached for the push-bar and gave it a shove, expecting the door to come swinging out easily, like always, but it didn't budge.

"Oh _godddd_ ," Natsu moaned, covering his eyes. "We're gonna die in here!"

"Shut up," Gray said, although Natsu could detect a note of encroaching panic in his voice. "I bet that was just a night guard or something. And they're probably the one that locked the door, not knowing we were in here. C-come on, we can try the windows."

Natsu nodded begrudgingly, knowing it was their best bet, and turned. They walked over to the windows and Gray started fiddling with the latch. Finally, it popped open with a click and Gray gave a small laugh of victory, hoisting himself over the hill and easing himself out. He was more than halfway through when Natsu saw the figure.

It was a girl, her skin as sickly white as the pale silk gown flowing around her, and a curtain of thick black hair concealed her face. Natsu was shocked into stillness for several moments, staring with a slightly open mouth at what could only be a ghost. Of course, he was startled out of his trance by Gray calling his name, and his head snapped over to the boy for a split second. When he looked back, the ghost was only feet away from him, looking at him with wide, gaping holes in the place of eyes, and a wide, bloody-toothed smile.

Natsu screeched and made a wild scramble for the window, launching out head-first and tackling Gray. He pulled him up and started sprinting across the school lawn, his pulse like a dragonfly's wings, resounding in his ears with every frantic breath he took, his arms and legs pumping front to back in a mad dash for the parking lot, where Gray's blue pickup was parked, waiting for them.

"THIS IS YOUR FUCKING FAULT!" he yelled at Gray, not daring to glance back at the still open window. "I TOLD YOU THAT PLACE IS HAUNTED!"

"WELL, SORRY!" Gray shouted back. "I DIDN'T, Y'KNOW, THINK GHOSTS WERE **_REAL_**!"

They reached the car, and Natsu finally dared to look back as Gray fumbled with his keys. He made a terrified sound as he saw a pale shape streaking across the lawn towards them, and tugged frantically at the still-locked door. "UNLOCK THE FUCKING DOOR, GRAY!"

"I'M _TRYING_!" Gray screamed back hysterically, finally unlocking the car with a satisfying _beep_. They flew into the seats, and Gray fumbled a few times before managing to successfully push the keys into the ignition, starting the car, which gave a series of mechanic protests as the old engine fired up.

"DRIVE!" Natsu screamed immediately, pounding on the dash with a fist. "FUCKING _DRIVE_!"

They sped out of the parking lot, and Gray drove at least twenty over the speed limit the whole way back to Natsu's house, both of them still breathless from the adrenaline rush. After what felt like hours speeding through the dark, silent night, Gray pulled into Natsu's driveway and jerked to a stop, turning the car off and panting as he tried to get his breath back.

They looked at each other, and for a while silence filled the car, broken only by the occasional car driving past and the buzz of the cicadas outside. Then they both broke into hysterical laughter, the panic and fear finally reaching them as they let it all out in short, loud bursts of sound.

Natsu wiped tears from his eyes and clutched his stomach, attempting a serious expression as he looked at Gray. "We're never doing that again. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Gray said quickly, letting out one last, breathless laugh before he slapped a palm against the steering wheel and shook his head. "Okay. Okay. And," he added, shooting a sharp glance at Natsu, "ghosts _do not exist_. Got it?"

"Got it," Natsu replied with a small smile. "Now, let's go watch Netflix."


	2. Day 2: Mask

**A/N:** Day two's theme is "Mask", so I decided to make this kinda like a masquerade party kinda deal. Sort of... Anyway, enjoy the chapter ^-^ (Kind of a vague ending, but hey. I like it.)

* * *

 **Day Two: Mask**

* * *

"Natsu, are you almost ready?" Lucy called down the hallway, standing impatiently by the front door and waiting for her best friend to finish getting dressed. They were going to a masquerade party one of their friends, Mira, was hosting that night, and they had decided to go all-out.

Lucy was dressed in a long black halter dress with a long slip up the left leg, couples with a lacy black-cat mask, back heels, and elbow-length black gloves. Natsu was supposed to be a vampire, with a fancy, Victorian-style suit, and a blood-red filigree mask that concealed the top half of his face, but obviously he wasn't done changing yet. Lucy had to wonder why it was taking him so long.

"No!" he called back to her, and the sound of muffled struggling could be heard before Natsu gave a frustrated groan. "I can't get this box coat thingie on right! There's so many buttons!"

"Just do your best," Lucy told him, rolling her eyes. "C'mon, we'll be late if you don't hurry!"

After a few more minutes of cursing and ruffling, Natsu threw open the door and stumbled down the hallway, still struggling to tug on one of his heeled knee-length boots. Lucy clasped her hands together with an exclamation of excitement. "You look _fantastic_! We're gonna _kill_ at this party!"

"Ugh, whatever," Natsu replied, stomping his foot and digging his heel in, attempting to make his feet more comfortable in the tight boots. "Let's go already."

Lucy linked arms with him and they walked down the driveway to her white Bentley, chattering non-stop about the party. Natsu wasn;t really listening, to be honest. Going to this party had 100% been Lucy's idea, and while he didn't really mind going, he still wasn't happy about it. Sure, he was what you might call "popular", but he'd never really been one for parties. They were loud and sweaty and uncomfortably, and almost always ended with someone either in the back of a police car, puking in the front lawn of the host/hostess's yard, or crying in a closet somewhere.

Bottom-line was; parties sucked. But Natsu supposed the masquerade theme would make things a bit interesting. He'd never been to a masquerade party before. It seemed fancier, somehow; more refined and elegant. Plus, Mira was known for her extravagant parties, so he was sure the food, at least, would be good.

And who knows? Maybe he would meet someone there.

* * *

They arrived at the party right on time, and Natsu stared out the windshield at the large house ahead warily. They had had to park pretty far down the large gravel drive, because the spaces closer to the house were all filled, so they had a pretty good view of the house from where they were.

It was huge, at least three stories, with fancy arches and lattice-work, and even one of those curling towers you'd always see on Victorian houses. The paint job was done perfectly, the walls a lovely, dark cream while the lattice was pure white. Huge picture windows in the front offered a view of the people already inside, and Natsu watched as people in swishing gowns and fancy masks swished past in a macabre wave, holding drinks or dragging friends by the hand.

Even from way down the drive, Natsu could hear the heavy bass-line of the music vibrating through the ground, mixing with the shouts of the teens outside, who were either laying out on the grass or chasing each other around barefoot, bored of the inside scene.

Lucy unbuckled her seat-belt and slipped out of the car, and Natsu took that as a cue to follow, opening his door with a sigh. They walked towards the house, Lucy grabbing Natsu's arm for support as she complained about the tall- and uncomfortableness of her heels.

The doors were open wide when they reached the huge wrap-around porch, and they didn't even have to knock to be allowed entrance, instead simply sweeping past the threshold with the rest of the party-goers, an excited buzz travelling through the crowd as the people around them caught sight of the snack and drink table, surging in that direction and dragging Natsu and Lucy with them.

The dining room table had been covered with snacks, including platters of finger sandwiches, shrimp cocktail, and hot wings, along with huge bowls of chips and candy. An enormous cooler sat against the back wall of the dining room, filled with cans of soda and beer, and bottles of water. The living room had been cleared to make a huge dance-floor, a rotating set of two connected globes casting multiple colors across the room, while music blared from a large set of speakers, making Natsu's teeth rattle as they got closer.

"I'm going to get something to eat!" Lucy yelled, raising her voice to be heard over the music and laughter. "Be right back!"

Natsu yelled back an affirmative, which was half drowned-out by the screams of the crowd. He quickly lost sight of her as Lucy ducked through a gap between people, getting swallowed by the crowd. Natsu peered around, looking for a spot to settle and wait for her. He was in the middle of the throng of dancing people then, and they swayed and twirled around him in a mass of gyrating bodies.

Spotting a clear spot against the wall, Natsu started nudging his way through the mass, muttering "Excuse me"s and "Sorry"s as he went. He successfully made it to the wall and slumped back against it with a sigh, crossing his arms. Maybe he had been wrong about parties, after all. This didn't seem very fun.

"Hey, why are you just standing here!" someone yelled beside him, making Natsu jump. He turned to see a boy looking at him, grinning. His face was hidden behind a dark blue mask, and he appeared to be sporting a winter theme, snowflakes stitched along the sleeves of his navy coat. Slate-blue eyes peered at him from holes in the mask, and raven hair swept across his forehead in messy spikes.

"I'm waiting for my friend!" Natsu yelled back hesitantly.

"Well don't!" the boy yelled, startling him a bit. "What fun is that?!"

Natsu shrugged uncertainly. "What am I supposed to do?!"

"Come dance!" the boy yelled in reply, offering him a hand. Natsu stared at it, uncertain. He didn't want to leave Lucy wondering where he'd gone, but... on the one hand, standing there doing nothing was pretty boring, and on the other, this guy was pretty damn cute, whoever he was. And he was sure Lucy would be fine. She was a social butterfly, after all.

His decision made, Natsu returned the boy's smile. "Okay!" He grasped the boy's hand, and allowed himself to be dragged out on to the dance-floor.

They started dancing, Natsu awkwardly and the boy surprisingly well. "I'm Gray, by the way!" the boy yelled, leaning forward slightly to be heard over the music, which was even louder now that they were closer to the speakers. "What's your name?!"

"Natsu!" Natsu yelled back, grinning. "Nice to meet you!"

Gray laughed in response, watching Natsu with those intense slate-blue eyes, somehow made bluer and more intense by the navy mask framing them. He fidgeted under the gaze, fiddling with the hem of his coat. "Sorry, I'm not much of a dancer! I don't go to these things much!"

"That's okay!" Gray shouted back. "All you have to do is sway on your feet a little, and move your arms, like this!" He grabbed Natsu's arms and moved his own, and Natsu tried to pay attention, biting his lip in concentration as he focused on not tripping in his high boots.

"Don't concentrate so hard!" Gray said with a laugh, releasing Natsu and backpedaling through the crowd with a teasing smile. "As long as you're having fun, you know you're doing it right!"

Natsu nodded, stopping for a moment to collect himself. _Have fun,_ he thought, watching as Gray turned in a circle, holding his hands above his head with a laugh and swaying back and forth. _I think I can do fun._

He listened to the music for a moment, letting the beat find him before he started moving, his hips moving and body swaying to match the music's flow and swell. Gray cut his way back through his crowd, laughing. "Now you got the hang of it!"

They rocked and swayed to the music, smiling and laughing. Natsu had to admit, this was a lot more fun than standing by the wall. He had to remember to tell Lucy thank you for dragging him to this party later. Of course, thinking about Lucy made him feel guilty for ditching her. He hoped she wasn't mad.

Suddenly, the previous loud, teeth-jarring rock song faded away, and a slow song replaced it. Natsu came to a slow stop and shifted nervously, glancing around as people started pairing up, slowly rocking back and forth to the gently rhythm. Gray looked at him, raising an eyebrow in a silent inquiry.

Natsu felt himself shrug, and accepted the hand Gray offered him. They settled into the position of the couples around them, and started swaying. Natsu found he couldn't stop looking at Gray's eyes. Up close, they were so blue, it was almost _too_ much. They reminded Natsu of the ocean, but way down deep, where the sun just faintly touched the watery depths, turning it a shining grayish blue.

Gray smiled at him, drawing Natsu's attention away from his eyes and down to his lips, which was really not the best transition when they were this close. _Jesus_ , he couldn't believe what he was doing. He wanted to kiss a boy he'd just met five minutes earlier in the middle of dancing at a masquerade party. It was certainly a new experience.

And yet, he didn't find himself particularly caring.


	3. Day 3: Demon

**A/N:** Okay so I am so swamped, guys, that's why I'm behind with the days for this, but I'll have days three and four out today, and hopefully day five, if I can manage it. If not, both day five and day six will be out tomorrow, and I'll be all caught up.

* * *

 **Day Three: Demon**

* * *

Gray had heard of demons. His father had been fond of stories, and Gray remembered several nights huddled under the blankets of his bed with his brother and sister, cowering in the face of the fantastical myths and stories. They'd heard of ghosts, ghouls, witches, warlocks, vampires, werewolves, bog monsters, and anything in between. But the story about Demons was by far the creepiest.

They were angels cast down from heaven, moral-less and godless, incapable of feeling anything other than blood-lust. There eyes were said to be as black as the deepest pits in all seven circles of Hell, holding the fires of damnation within their icy depths. Their teeth were as sharp as knives, and five-inch-long claws replaced fingernails. Their skin was a deep, maroon red, and huge horns curled from the tops of their heads, as large as an ox's, and as black as a starless night sky.

Gray had spent many more nights staring at the shadows in the corners of his room, wondering if a Demon lay lurking within the blackness, just waiting for inevitable sleep to overtake him before it made its move and took him away to some secluded corner of Hell to gobble him up. His childish mind fancied any shape in the darkness into a diabolical monster rearing its ugly head above him, and it had often drove him to his parent's bed.

But, of course, the whimsy of adolescent impressionism had worn off over the years, and at seventeen, Gray no longer believed in the monstrous stories his father had once told of creatures that lurked in the night. He knew that no Demon lurked in the corners of his room, waiting to drag him away. After all, only children still believed in horror stories.

But if that was true, it would make a not-at-all-interesting story. So let me tell you what really happened.

* * *

The day everything changed seemed like any other day. It was nearing the end of November, the leaves turning golden shades of red, yellow, and orange, dropping from the trees to create a crunchy carpet underfoot. The weather had been steadily growing colder, and the sky, which was sunny for all of spring and summer, had turned cloudy and gray, letting little to no sunlight peek through the heavy, morose clouds.

Gray didn't mind the cold so much, but the wind he couldn't stand. It picked up the leaves and blew them about, getting them tangled in Gray's hair, and sweeping them in through the doors when he got home. It also caused the trees to flail about and scratch long, thin branches across the windows, making an eerie sound akin to nails on wood.

Cinching his jacket tighter around himself, Gray crossed his arms and tucked them against his chest, shivering. He was being forced to walk home, since his car was in the shop, his parents were at work, his sister was away at college and therefor unable to give him a ride, and his brother was away for the weekend at some SAT study group thing. Sp, just his luck, he was forced to walk home in the freezing cold (down a creepy back-road, might he add) to reach the safety and warmth of his house.

The change in the air was subtle; the faintest drop of air pressure, the smallest of temperature decreases. But then the wind picked up, throwing Gray nearly off his feet as it tore down the street, ripping small plants from the ground and throwing the piles of leaves into the air in a kaleidoscopic display of color. The temperature continued dropping, and Gray looked around, completely miffed as to what was going on.

Next came the sound, like metal grinding harshly against metal, and the smell of rust filled the air, tickling a memory at the back of Gray's mind. He whipped his head around to look towards the origin point of the noise, and spotted hazy shapes far up in the sky, swirling around each other so fast Gray could barely track their frantic movements. Little orange sparks flew from the two shapes, and Gray squinted, trying to make out a more distinct image.

As the shapes grew closer and closer, Gray realized that they would crash in the forest right in front of him, and he scrambled back a few steps, watching their spiraling descent with wary fascination. Finally, the sound of metal grinding and the scent of rust grew so intense, Gray had to hold his hands over his ears and nose as the shapes finally reached the lowest possible altitude, clashing against each other one last time in a brilliant flash of bright red and white sparks before they slammed into the ground with enough force to shake the earth, nearly causing Gray to lose his footing.

When he had steadied himself, he gazed up at the smoke that had appeared above the tree line not two clicks away, and he shook his head, already denying the idea forming in the back of his mind. _No, you are_ not _going to check that out. It could be dangerous. You could die. Who knows what those things were._ He cursed. No matter how many rational arguments he made against it, the idea was too stubborn to be put down, and eventually, with a few more light swears, Gray started into the forest, towards the pillar of smoke rising into the gray November sky.

* * *

The area was so filled with smoke, Gray had to raise the hem of his shirt to cover his nose and mouth, squinting as the acrid air stung his watery eyes. The forest was a gray haze around him, but ahead he could see a dark shape picked out against the smoke. A sickly sweet smell, like roses, filled the air, and that memory from earlier tugged more incessantly at Gray's mind, but refused to offer anything when he focused on it.

Suddenly, the ground tilted underfoot, and Gray lost his balance, tumbling head-over-heels as he rolled down the hill. No, not a _hill_ , he realized, but a _crater_ , created by the harsh landing of those two objects.

Rolling to a stop, Gray took a second to regain his composure, the smoke roiling above him as his brain struggled to re-orientate itself. His breath came in short gasps as he lay spreadeagled in the freshly upturned soil, staring out at the gray all around him. "Fuck," he said aloud, closing his eyes. " _This_ is what I get for being curious."

Opening his eyes, Gray rolled onto his side with a groan, pushing himself to his feet and brushing the dirt from his clothes. "Well, this suc—" The words dried up in Gray's throat as his eyes fell upon the sight in front of him, and his mouth dropped open as he stared at it in equal parts shock, awe, and horror.

It wasn't really an _it_ at all, really, but a _him_ , appearing as a teenage boy around Gray's age, perhaps a year younger. He had wide olive eyes so dark they were almost black, which seemed to shift from black, to silver, to amber as the seconds ticked by, framed by long, thick lashes. Spiky locks of startlingly sakura-pink hair sprouted from his head, contrasting starkly against his pale skin. But the thing that surprised and horrified Gray the most were the horns curling from the top of his head.

 _As large as an ox's, and as black as a starless night sky._ The words floated through Gray's mind, and that memory that had been tugging at him earlier finally revealed itself fully. _The are angels cast down from heaven, moral-less and godless, incapable of feeling anything other than blood-lust. There eyes are said to be as black as the deepest pits in all seven circles of Hell, holding the fires of damnation within their icy depths._ Gray felt himself take a step back, and he locked eyes with the boy—no, _Demon_ —in front of him. "No. Fucking. _Way_."

The Demon blinked at him, tilting its head to the side. "I do not understand that expression..."

Gray blinked. Blinked again. He wanted to run. He knew Demons were evil, terrible things, and yet... here was this boy standing in front of him, with wide, curious eyes, and pink hair. Pink, for god's sake. In fact, beside the horns, the boy looked almost like a child, with his wide, innocent gaze and lanky, almost feminine frame.

"Uh..." Gray cleared his throat. "Er, I'm just, um, showing surprise."

The boy looked at him. "You are surprised?" he asked, his brows drawn together in confusion. "Then why do you say this word "fucking"? I do not understand. What is a "fucking"?"

Gray couldn't help it. Coming from a boy who looked like, well, _this guy_? He laughed. The Demon continued looking at him confused. "Please explain. I wish to understand."

"Well..." Gray scratched his eyebrow. "There's really a lot of stuff to explain..."

* * *

Gray hid him in a cave. There were plenty of them in the woods, and he couldn't very well leave a _Demon_ out in the open, could he? No, so he found them a cave. It was small and dark, but the boy didn't seem to mind, Gray led him through the dark by hand; a hand which, to Gray's relief, held no claws.

"Sit here," he instructed, and the Demon did as instructed, kneeling in the dirt and wrapping his arms around his knees, glancing around the cavern with his wide, curious olive eyes. Gray sat in front of him, and just stared at him for a while. "Before I answer your questions, I have a few of my own."

"Okay," the Demon said, blinking at him. "I will answer."

"Okay, well... First of all, what do they call you where you're from?" At the boy's perplexed look, Gray added, "Y'know, like your name?"

"Oh. They call me... Dragneel. Natsu Dragneel."

Gray smiled and held out a hand. "Well, Natsu, I'm Gray. Pleased to meet you."

The Demon looked at his outstretched hand, and then up at his face. Hesitantly, a smile blossomed across his face, and he gripped Gray's offered hand. "It is my pleasure."


	4. Day 4: Vampire

**A/N:** Day four, and today's theme is "Vampire" XD Lol tbh I have no idea where I was going with this but hey, it all worked out ^-^ (Yes, ik it's out late, sorry XD)

* * *

 **Day Four: Vampire**

* * *

Gray's breath came in short gasps, and his legs ached as he pushed them to go faster, taking a blind turn down a random street, not entirely sure where he was going anymore. Behind him he could hear the shouts of his pursuers, and the thumps of their thick-soled shoes against the pavement, their heavy breath echoing his own.

Making a sharp right, Gray grabbed the edge of a fence and using his momentum to vault over it, sprinting across the random backyard he was trespassing upon. He could hear them behind him, leaping the fence easily and continuing their pursuit across the yard.

"C'mon, Fullbuster! Come and face your punishment like a man!" someone yelled, and Gray identified the speaker as Cobra, one of the jocks offended by Gray's previous shenanigans. Really, he hasn't been _trying_ to piss them off. It had just sort of _happened_ , like things often did when Gray was involved. But hey, that wasn't his fault.

Anyway, short version of the story was; they didn't like him, and they chose to express that by repeatedly beating him up. Gray supposed better him than someone else, but still; it wasn't very fun.

Vaulting the fence on the other side of the backyard his pursuers had just torn up, Gray allowed himself a mere second of rest, tossing his head both ways to make a quick note of his surroundings. But hearing them only a few feet behind him now, Gray had to nudge himself into action again, sprinting full-tilt down the street. He figured he had about a minute before they caught up to him.

Spotting something in his peripheral vision, Gray allowed himself another brief respite from running, turning in the direction of the object of his previous fleeting attention.

It was a house, and clearly an abandoned one. Old shutters covered the ground like shed black scales, and the few remaining panes of glass were so dusty you could see nothing through them, cracks spider-webbing across the dirty surface. The roof seemed to be sinking downwards on the edges, as if the house were frowning, and the wind blowing through the streets caused the building to shift and creak, issuing low moans as the foundations sagged, struggling to hold up the structure under the intense pressure. A small, worn plaque hung beside the door, with the number _245_ stenciled out in peeling black lacquer.

Gray had no more time to observe, lest he be caught, and made a split-second decision that—although unbeknownst to him—would change his life forever: He changed direction and made a beeline for the house, ducking in past the gaping threshold, the front door lying broken and useless on the front stoop.

Pressing himself against the wall, concealed by the dusty windows, Gray held his breath, listening to his assailants' footsteps as they pounded towards his section of street. They paused just feet away, probably in the center of the street, and Gray listened warily as they debated about where he had gone. No one so much as mentioned the house, and Gray felt himself sagging in relief as they moved on, down the street and away from his impromptu hiding spot. He allowed himself a small smile, proud of his quick thinking.

"Who're you?"

Gray nearly jumped out of his skin, and, scared as he was by the sudden voice, took a startled step back, tripping on a loose floorboard and falling _rather_ ungracefully to the floor, staring up in shock at the origin point of the sudden inquiry.

A boy hung upside-down from one of the low ceiling beams, his black hoodie sliding down—in his backwards position—to reveal a sliver of pale skin. His pink hair hung down, away from his face, revealing a set of piercing olive eyes that seemed to shift to black and then gold—as if they couldn't decide which to settle on, Gray thought—as the shadows shifted their position in the house.

Gray could only manage to stutter something similar to "What?" a few seconds later, his brain still attempting to place this strange upside-down boy in as weird a place as an abandoned house.

" _Who are you_?" the boy repeated, pronouncing each word carefully, blinking his coalescing eyes at Gray languidly, seeming almost cat-like in his behaviors.

"Who am _I_?" Gray asked, finally snapping himself out of his surprised stupor to give the boy a befuddled look. "Who are _you_? And what on earth are you doing in this abandoned house?"

The boy swing himself to a sitting position in the rafters and crossed his legs at the ankles, swinging them gently forwards and backwards. "I'm Natsu."

Gray blinked in surprise, and when he looked up again, Natsu had seemingly disappeared. Yet a creak to his left prompted Gray to turn his gaze that way, where he found the strange boy sitting on a different ceiling beam, lying on his side with his head propped up on his hand this time; _Quite_ the precarious position. Gray blanched for a second, wondering how on earth he's moved so quickly.

"You know," Natsu continued with a nonchalant smile, "not all old places are abandoned."

"B-but this— There is— You—" Gray struggled to find words for a second, still dumbstruck by Natsu's sudden appearance. "There's no door! The windows are broken!"

Natsu shrugged. "I like it this way."

For several seconds they stared at each other, Gray still sporting that confused, slightly awed look while Natsu wore a Chesire-esque smile, waving his fingers back and forth through a dappled beam of sunlight that shone through one of the holes in the ceiling.

Finally, Gray simply sighed. Gave a small shrug. "Hey, dude, whatever floats your boat. I really just ducked in here to hide from some, er, _people_ , so I'll just be going now. See ya."

"Okay," Natsu said, swinging himself down into his foremost upside-down position and waving. "Come back any time!"

"Sure, Gray muttered," shaking his head with a small, inexplicable smile on his face as he ducked back through the door and started the long walk home through the chilly air.

* * *

He did go back. In fact, he went back a lot, after that first meeting. He wasn't sure why. Maybe it was the oddity of a pink-haired boy living in an abandoned house, or the fact that it had turned out to be a fairly good hiding spot. Whatever the reason, Gray found himself inexplicably drawn to the abandoned house on Oak Street.

Today was his eighth visit there in half as many weeks, and he was simply sitting in the center of the floor, doodling shapes in the dust on the wood while Natsu took up his usual upside-down perch atop a ceiling beam, a lollipop dangling precariously from the corner of his lips.

Gray had found out a few days prior that Natsu had never had candy before, and so he amended to get some for him, although curiosity tickled his mind as that little tidbit was added to the other things he had learned about Natsu over the weeks. He'd never had candy, had never been to school, loved heights and climbing things, spent most of his time lounging around in the rafters of 245 Oak Street, was (oddly) addicted to Nicholas Spark's novels, and loved lounging in precarious positions. All of it just added to the mystery of Natsu.

"Why do you live here all alone?" Gray asked now, looking up at his new friend with a curious expression.

Natsu shrugged. "Been alone here for as long as I can remember. People don't come around here. They're scared of me."

" _Scared_?" Gray snickered. "Of _you_? Why would anyone be scared of you? A _toddler_ holding a declawed _kitten_ is more threatening than you."

Natsu shot him a dirty look. "For your information, I can be very scary."

"Oh?" Gray asked with an amused smirk. "How so?"

"I'm a vampire, and vampires are scary," Natsu said, sticking his tongue out. Gray shot him an incredulous look. "Ha ha, Natsu. Hilarious. Really. If you make creepy noises when people come in here I swear to god..."

"Hey, I'm telling the truth!" Natsu huffed, crossing his arms with a pout. "I'll prove it to you! I'll... bite you!"

"How would biting me prove anything?" Gray asked, playing along as he crossed his arms and shot Natsu a smirk. "All you'd be proving is that you're weird. You'll at least have to turn into a bat before I'm convinced of _anything_."

Natsu, for maybe the first time in the entire stretch of time they'd known each other, glared at Gray. "Fine." He did something else unexpected by dropping from the rafters, somehow managing to turn himself upright and land in a crouch in front of him, making Gray jump and clutch a hand to his heart. " _Never_ do that again. You could hurt yourself! I don't want to have to drag you to the hospital when you— When... you..." Gray's words dried up and his mouth dropped open as he stared at the sight in front of him.

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it. The transformation had taken all of a millisecond, but now, standing where Natsu had seconds earlier, was a small black cat, blinking up at him with Natsu's familiar, kaleidoscopic olive eyes. Gray blinked once, and in that half-second, the cat was replaced by Natsu once again, and if Gray had had a better imagination, he would've though he'd dreamed it all up.

Natsu stood with his hands on his hips, giving the still awestruck Gray a self-satisfied smirk. "Ha, see! I told you I wasn't lying!" He frowned and cocked his head to the side. "Although, I _can't_ turn into a bat... Sorry. But maybe another vampire could..." He shrugged, as if shape-shifting was as normal a topic as football scores. " _I_ can only turn into a cat."

"So you— This is— You're really a— _I can't believe it_." Gray stared at Natsu with a look akin to stunned appreciation. Natsu shrugged, seemingly unaffected by Gray's hypnotized look of utter curiosity and surprise. "Well, believe it."

"So, you're really a—"

"Yep."

"And you can shape—"

"Yes."

Gray shook his head, but a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he looked at his new friend. "Well, I can tell this will be an interesting year."


	5. Day 5: Haunted House

**A/N:** Day five, and the theme is "Haunted House". Lol, this should be hilarious XD (Short but cute c:)

* * *

 **Day Five: Haunted House**

* * *

"No way in hell am I going in there," Natsu said, crossing his arms and shaking his head from side to side adamantly. "There's no possible way you're ever getting me to go in that death trap."

Beside him, his best friend, Lucy, rolled her eyes, brushing a strand of her honey-blonde hair behind her ear. "Natsu, it's _just_ a haunted house. C'mon, they're all just actors _hired_ to scare you. You're in no _real_ danger. How many times do we have to go over this before it will sink in that _you are not going to die in there_?"

Natsu shook his head again. "How do you know it's not a _real_ haunted house they _made_ into an attraction?!"

On his other side, Natsu's boyfriend, Gray, placed his hands on his hips and flashed him a teasing smirk. "Come on, Natsu, I know you're not scared of a little haunted house. These kinds of things are built for _five-year-olds_ to withstand."

Shooting him a dirty look, Natsu stamped his foot and shook his head for the third time, much more incessantly this time. "Absolutely _not_. You two can go in without me. I'm _perfectly fine_ waiting _right_ here where it's safe and ghost-free, thank you very much."

"Natsu, if you do this, I'll..." Gray cast a glance Lucy's way before leaning forward to whisper something in Natsu's ear that made him blush tomato red, a shiver brushing his spine. Pulling back with a smug, self-assured grin, Gray watched Natsu's internal clockwork trying to work itself out as his lips flapped uselessly together, emitting no sound. Lucy watched all this in amused, appreciative silence, her left eyebrow raised.

Finally, Natsu seemed to sink back into reality with a rasping breath, blinking fast several times as the blush grew redder across his cheeks. "F-f-fine," he stuttered, covering his face with his hand to attempt to hide his embarrassment. "L-let's g-go in-inside."

As Natsu walked ahead of them, Lucy fell into step beside Gray and gave him an appreciative look. "Damn, Gray, what did you say to him?"

"Whatever I needed to," Gray said with a wink, before moving past her to slip his hand into Natsu's. Lucy shook her head. "Remind me not to get on _his_ bad side."

They made their way past the threshold of the old barn being used as the haunted house, immediate darkness embracing them with cold arms as they moved deeper into the old structure. Fake cobwebs hung heavy in the corners of the room, dangling from the ceiling to trail thin tendrils against their shoulders as they passed by. Doors lined the hallway they walked through, and as they passed each one, the sound of moaning and groaning could be heard, followed by footsteps that seemed to travel up and down the hall.

Next they stepped into the parlor, where two old, ratty purple sofas stood facing a huge fireplace, where an eerie green fire danced behind the mantle, casting distorted shadows against the walls and floor. The windows were so caked with dust and spider-webbing cracks you could see nothing beyond them, except the occasional flash of lightning, followed by booms of thunder that shook the floor under their feet.

The kitchen was next, followed by a large, cramped freezer, where large slabs of unidentifiable bloody meet hung from huge hooks in the walls and ceiling, swinging faintly as the three teens brushed past them. The kitchen exit led them to a child's bedroom. A cradle sat to one side, with an old, creepy teddy-bear resting inside it, and beside that sat a small rocking chair, which tilted back and forth on its own, a doll with one missing eye and a dirty dressed placed in the center of the seat.

At the entrance to the garden, Natsu whimpered and grabbed Gray's arm, strangling it like it was a life preserver as they made their way down three worn stone steps and out into the courtyard. Old broken statues lay piled in various parts of the yard, moss-encrusted and worn down, and the grass was wilted and brown, dying flowers outlining a fountain at the center of the garden, which spewed pitch-black water.

At the edge of the dead grass spread a hedge maze, and the group was forced to go in one at a time in the narrow space, Natsu forcing Gray to go first, while he occupied the center, and Lucy took up the rear. The maze was so realistic it took them a few tries to get out, and by the time they entered the last section of the haunted house, Natsu was shaking and looked absolutely terrified.

The last part was what appeared to be a small broom closet, and they were forced to slip inside, turning their bodies to fit as they slid through the narrow gap one by one. Natsu barely made it through, and he was shaking so hard his teeth were chattering as they finally stepped out into the cool October night once again.

"See, was it that bad?" Gray asked, looking at Natsu with a not-at-all-sympathetic smile. Natsu shot his boyfriend a glare so strong it could wither grass. "I. Will. Murder. You."

Gray gave a squeal as Natsu made a mad grab for him, and he took off sprinting through the grass, peals of laughter reverberating from him as he tried to keep away from Natsu's angry fists. Lucy simply shook her head with a smile. Haunted houses truly brought out the worst in her friends.


	6. Day 6: Scary Stories

**A/N:** Yes, ik, I'm terrible about putting these out on time, but here's day six, and day seven and eight will both be put out tomorrow.

* * *

 **Day Six: Scary Stories**

* * *

"Alright, kiddies, gather around," Lucy said with a mischievous smile. She sat down cross-legged in the center of her living room, clutching a flashlight in one hand and a water bottle in the other. She was hosting a sleepover for Halloween, and of course you couldn't have a sleepover without scary stories, especially so close to the scariest holiday of the year.

Lucy said as much, and the few people who had resisted the plan gave sighs of consent and settled down in a rough circle around their blonde host.

"Okay, I'll start, since none of you seem as _excited_." Lucy shot pointed looks at two of her friends, Wendy and Levy, who shifted uncomfortably as Lucy clicked on her flashlight. She shone it under her face, casting it in shadow as her expression turned serious.

"Have any of you heard of the witch of Hallow's Eve?"

There was a collective murmur of annulment, and Lucy smiled eerily before continuing on. "It's said that she only appears once every Halloween, at three o'clock, the witching hour. She picks one victim every year; just _one_." Lucy's brown eyes glittered darkly in the shadows created by the flashlight. One of her friends, Natsu, gulped and scooted closer to Gray, who sat beside him.

"Her story is a tragic one," Lucy continued, her voice taking on a somber tone. "When she was just a girl, barely thirteen, she was accused of witchcraft, and sentenced to burn at the stake. As the pyre was lit, she vowed that a curse be placed on the land in her name; Every Halloween, her vengeful spirit will prowl the earth, searching for a victim to avenge her untimely demise. She stalks them, hiding in the shadows and lying in wait, waiting for you to separate yourself from any others. It's then, when you're alone and at your most vulnerable, that she creeps from the shadows, and... GRABS YOU!" Lucy lunged on Wendy, causing the girl to scream, and then squeal with laughter as the blonde began tickling her.

Gray scowled from his place beside Natsu, crossing his arms. "That wasn't _scary_. I'll show you how its done." He snatched the flashlight from her, clearing his throat. "On a cold day in October, a group of four friends, two girls and two guys, decided to go for a camping trip. It was the middle of their Senior year, and they decided it would be fun to go on a little trip before high school ended. So they packed up enough supplies to last them each a week, and headed up a nearby pass, to a large forest that occupied part of the nearby mountains. They parked their car and started their hike, eventually making camp when they reached a pretty clear part of the forest.

"Everyone was having a great time, roasting marshmallows around the fire, and recounting old stories from school and their lives. But eventually darkness fell, and slowly, one by one, the campers went to bed, leaving only one of their friends outside. He wanted to watch the stars for a while, so he lay down on his back, while his three friends zipped themselves into their tents for the night, with a warning for him to be weary of bears, who sometimes prowled that area of the mountains." The group of teens was silent, transfixed by Gray's cool voice as he told the story.

"One of the girls—one who'd gone to sleep first—woke later in the night, because she heard noises outside. Naturally, she thought it was her friend who'd decided to stay up, so she got up to tell him to keep it down. She stepped outside, zipping the tent up behind her to keep the cold out, and peered around through the darkness for her friend, but it was very dark, the moon, which had been clear earlier, obscured by clouds.

"She heard another noise, that sounded almost like muffled giggles, and called her friends name, telling him to keep quiet and go to bed. However, when the noises continued, she grabbed a flashlight from her tent and shined it around, yelling at her friend to go to bed already. However, as she passed the thin beam of light over the forest landscape, she didn't spot her friend.

"Confused, she took a few steps away from her tent, looking around for him, thinking maybe he'd gone farther out in the woods to go to the bathroom or get a clearer view of the stars. But she didn't see him anywhere around, so she decided to head back and wake up her other friends to go search for him. However, a sudden noise from above caused her to stop, and she tilted her head to the side, listening for the noise." Gray tilted his head, mimicking the actions of the girl.

"It was a gurgling, rustling sound, almost like tinfoil caught in water, and she frowned, confused as to what it was. But then something wet dropped on her check from above, causing her to look up." Gray shined the flashlight at the ceiling. "And what she saw above caused her to scream; her friend's body hanging from a tree branch high above, his spinal cord protruding from his neck, as if it had been shoved up through it. She turned and made a mad dash through the forest, the flashlight discarded, forgotten on the forest floor in her haste to get away." The light in Gray's hand clicked off, casting the room in shadows and making the teens giggle nervously.

"She ran like her life depended on it, screaming at the top of her lungs the whole way, branches scraping her face in her frantic dash through the woods. But it was okay. Even in the darkness, she could see the camp, with their two tents pitched beside the still-dying fire. She was almost there when... IT STRUCK AND GRABBED HER!" Gray attacked Natsu, causing him to let out a high-pitched scream.

"FUCK YOU, GRAY!"

Everyone laughed as the flashlight found its way into someone else's hand, the light once again illuminating the group of frightened but humored teens. Gray laughed as he pushed himself off Natsu, looking smug. "As you can see, I clearly—"

"Hey, what's going on down there?"

Everyone turned to see Lucy's mother, Layla, perched in the doorway in her pajamas, looking stern. "You kids should be asleep by now!"

"Sorry, Mom," Lucy said with an apologetic smile as her friends stifled giggles beside her. "We were just about to go to bed!"

"Alright, you better." Her mother cast one last look around at everyone before closing the door again and heading back to bed. Lucy sighed and set down the flashlight, which had made its way back to her. "She's right. It's already past twelve."

There were murmurs of ascent, and the teens lay out their blankets and slipped under them. Natsu scooted his pillow next to Gray's, who gave him a smirk. "Aw, is someone scared?" Natsu then gave him a glare that could wither grass. "Not a _word_. It's your fault for telling that fucking story."

"Aw, whatever you say," Gray said with a smirk, holding his blanket aside for Natsu to crawl under. There were a few minutes of faint shuffling and exhales as people settled down, shifting beneath their blankets, attempting to find a comfortable position on the floor.

Several minutes passed in silence, the only sounds the soft exhalations of the gathered group, and the ticking of the clock in the next room. Finally, someone gave a large, heavy sigh. "I'm not getting any sleep tonight."

There were grunts of agreement and then a voice (presumably Natsu) suggested cheerfully, "Why don't we all fucking murder Gray instead?

"Oh, shut up," Gray muttered, and a muffled blow could be heard as he hit Natsu with his pillow. "It was just a story, guys. Go to sleep."

There were sighs, and the repeated pattern of shuffling and exhaling as the group settled down again. After a few blissful minutes of silence, Gray added in a vague tone, "And besides, it only hunts in the woods."

There was a pause, a single intake of breath.

" ** _GRAY!_** "


	7. Day 7: Black Cat

**A/N:** Today is day seven of my Halloween writing challenge, and the theme is "Black Cat". Lol, honestly _no_ idea what this will turn in to, but let's give it a shot XD (I thought I wouldn't have this out today, but props to me XD)

* * *

 **Day Seven: Black Cat**

* * *

Black cats were supposed to be bad luck. Everyone knew that. It was the oldest of old superstitions, and one that almost always spelled certain disaster, at least in Gray's experience. He'd had several encounters with black cats in his seventeen years, and all of them had ended with himself (and sometimes several others) severely hurt. So, long story short, Gray very much disliked black cats.

So of course he was wary when he opened his back door—after several minutes of an irritating, incessant scratching—to find one of them staring up at him with wide green eyes, giving him a soft, pathetic mewl.

Gray eyed it warily, hands on his hips as it scratched feebly at the mat outside, as if waiting for permission to enter. He sighed loudly, giving the cat a stern look. "I'm not letting you in. You'll have to go somewhere else."

The cat blinked at him, rolling on its back and waving its paws in the air as if asking for a belly rub. "Stop doing that!" Gray ordered, pointing at it sternly. "It's not going to work!"

The cat continued its pursuits, rolling on its back on the mat and giving Gray (or what he thought looked very much like) a pleading looked, blinking up at him with those wide green eyes. Gray shook his head. "You wouldn't like it here. I hate cats. It's cramped. There's no place to run around."

Mewling, the cat batted at the hem of his jeans, craning its neck to look up at him.

"Dammit," Gray cursed, kicking himself even as he picked up the accursed cat and carried it inside.

* * *

Okay, so maybe cats weren't so bad. The black cat had been around for about three days, and Gray admitted that it was adorable, and very soft, when he finally gave in to petting it. He took to calling it Ebony, after its black fur, and fed it all the cans of tuna he uselessly had in his cupboard that had (until then) been serving no previous purpose other than to make him look civilized when his parents and siblings visited.

"So, where did you come from?" Gray asked the cat now, while it ate a can of tuna set in a bowl for it on the counter, Gray leaning on his elbows behind it. "Did you run away?"

The cat merely blinked at him, pulling back from the tuna to scratch itself behind the ear, shaking its head afterwards and peering up at him with its wide emerald orbs, obviously not offering up a response to Gray's inquiry. He sighed and scratched the animal behind the ears, feeling its purr reverberate through his fingers. "Oh well. I guess I can put up lost cat posters." He paused with a slight frown, tapping his chin. "Do people do that? Lost cat posters?"

Ebony again offered no response, instead leaping from the counter and prowling over to the back screen door on stubby legs to lay itself out in a bright ray of sunlight. Gray rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that's what I thought." He picked up the tuna can and was opening the trash can when he heard a knock at his front door. Sighing, he dropped the tuna can inside the trash bin and reached for the door, wiping his hands on his jeans. "Can I help..." Gray trailed off as he looked up to see a strange sight before him.

A short (or, at least, shorter than Gray), lanky boy stood panting in the doorway, his face flushed and olive eyes bright. Gray was stunned into speechlessness not by the eyes or flushed cheeks, however, but by the boy's hair. It was an uncontrollable mess of spiky pink, and swept across his head like choppy waves, disheveled but still somehow graceful in its disarray.

Finding his voice, Gray completed his previous question, "Can I help you?"

The boy panted, still trying to regain his breath as he nodded his head. "Y-yes, sorry, I've been running around here." He took a deep breath and straightened from his previous slumped position. "I'm looking for my cat. She's been gone a few days now, but she's ran out before, and always comes back, so I thought she would this time, but..." He continued to ramble on, but Gray's mind had flashed to Ebony as soon as he heard the word _cat_.

"Your cat wouldn't be black, by any chance?" Gray asked, casting a glance over his shoulder, at where Ebony lay curled up in the sun. The boy nodded, his expression immediately brightening. "Yes! Have you seen her?"

A small smile curved Gray's lips as he turned away from the door. "Wait here a sec." Closing the door, he walked over to where the cat lay sprawled in the sun. He shook his head at her, grinning. "So you did run away, huh? Well, you're lucky your owner loves you so much, stupid cat."

Picking her up, he walked back over and opened up the door. The boy's face immediately lit up, and he gave the cat a huge hug as soon as Gray handed her over. "Oh, thank goodness! Ebony, you stupid cat."

Gray blinked in surprise. "Wait, her name is Ebony?"

The boy nodded, looking back up at him with a wide smile. "Yep. Why?"

"Um..." Gray mumbled, scratching his cheek, blushing slightly in embarrassment. "I was actually calling her that... I didn't know it was her real name."

The boy's eyes seemed to study him with a look akin to curiosity and gave Gray a once-over. "Interesting." His eyes flitted back up and he flashed Gray a smile. "I'm Natsu, by the way. Natsu Dragneel. And of course you've met Eb."

"Gray Fullbuster," Gray replied, smiling and shaking Natsu's offered hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Pleasure's all mine," Natsu said, giving Gray another, more flirtatious once-over, which caused him to flush. "Thank you for finding her for me."

"S-sure," Gray murmured, trying to stop his blush from rising. "Any time."

Natsu, looking amused by Gray's reaction, juggled Ebony into one arm and fished around in his pocket for a few seconds, unearthing a pen. He beckoned for Gray to stick out his hand, which he did, watching Natsu scrawl out something on his wrist before capping the pen and handing it to Gray. With a smile he turned and waved. "See ya around, Gray. I'm sure it won't be too long."

By the time Gray registered his words, Natsu was gone, and Gray closed the door, brows furrowed as he looked down at what was written on his wrist. Scrawled across his skin in graceful, lilting script were the words, _Thanks for finding my cat. Obviously she has good taste._ , followed by a nine-digit number that must've been Natsu's phone number.

Gray blushed a deep shade of red, staring down at his hand. He'd thought black cats were bad luck, but instead it had brought him Natsu Dragneel. But, of course, he wasn't sure what kind of luck that boy would bring with him. Whatever he was, though, Gray was willing to find out.


	8. Day 8: Spiders

**A/N:** Day eight, and I honestly have no idea what will become of this prompt, but I'm excited to find out. (Super short, but extra fluffy c:)

* * *

 **Day Eight: Spiders**

* * *

Natsu hated spiders. But honestly, who didn't? They were creepy, crawly, disgusting, and frankly terrifying. And spiders were, of course, why he was screaming at the top of his lungs, crouched on top of a toilet and shouting for his boyfriend, Gray.

They had an understanding, you see. Natsu cooked; Gray cleaned. Natsu sang; Gray drew. Natsu was reckless; Gray was calm. Natsu did the shopping; Gray killed spiders. It was the best for everyone, especially since a lot more than just a spider was destroyed when Natsu tried killing them.

Sighing, Gray stuck his head in through the bathroom door and raised an eyebrow at the cowering Natsu, who was crouched like Spiderman on the lid of the toilet. "Where is it?"

Natsu pointed a shaking finger at the floor, and Gray drew his eyes downward to see a large, black, hairy spider crouched in the center of the floor, looking macabre and threatening. He sighed and ducked into the hallway, coming back with a shoe clutched in one hand. With little to no hesitation or ceremony, Gray smacked the shoe down right on top of the spider, picked up the dead thing, and threw it away, shooting his boyfriend an incredulous look as he climbed down from the toilet.

"You really need to learn to kill spiders on your own."

"We've tried that," Natsu reminded him. "We had to buy a new fire extinguisher. And couch..."

Gray sighed. "Okay, fine. But at least don't scream next time. The neighbors will think I'm murdering you."

"Sure, sure," Natsu said dismissively, giving Gray a wide smile and wrapping his arms around his neck. "Thanks for killing spiders for me, Gray. My hero."

Smirking, Gray wrapped his arms around Natsu's waist and picked him up, carrying him out of the bathroom. "Damn straight. Now I think it's time you repaid me for it."


	9. Day 9: Scared

**A/N:** Day nine, and today's theme should yeild interesting results. Yes, ik I'm like four days late, but I'll try to catch up by tomorrow XD Let me know if you guys see any mistakes, because I wrote this on my laptop, and the keyboard is touchy. (Plus I've been too lazy to fix the mistakes on these lol.)

* * *

 **Day Nine: Scared**

* * *

Fear was a strange, temperamental thing. It played with you, twisted your mind until you couldn't see straight. Made you see and hear things that weren't really there, and dull the senses to disguise the barest of things. But not always. Natsu had found that fears were not as selfish as everyone thought. When someone he loved was in danger, the fear took a different tone. It was no longer fear for himself, but for someone else. He suddenly would do anything for them, just to keep them safe. The fear became a selfless thing.

But fears like these, that crept in during the night and gripped you with cold claws, were selfish fears. They consumed your whole being, making shadows into dancing demons and thunder into God's divine wrath, about to strike you down. They destroyed ration and tore at sanity, ushering in doubts on the waves of an undulating hear-beat. It was these fears that Natsu so despised.

These fears showed weakness. They showed everyone what you were hiding; the darkest, most raw part of yourself that you always kept concealed from the light of day. And they dulled the senses. It brought out vulnerability. And vulnerability was almost always a bad thing.

Unless, of course, you had someone who didn't care. Someone who had already seen you at your darkest, and didn't care. Someone who knew your fears, and helped you bury them. And Natsu had that someone.

His hands shook as he dialed the number, and he could hear his breath in the empty line of spaces between rings. He hated letting his fear take him over like this, but there was little he could do. He'd had a nightmare, which had been a recurring phenomenon the past few weeks, but he'd ignored all the previous instances. He wasn't sure what was different about this one. As soon as he'd woken in a cold sweat, he'd felt the crushing wave of panic wash over him like he'd never let it before, making his throat close up as he felt himself shaking. And the storm raging outside only made it worse.

The line beeped as it was put through, and a tired, familiar voice mumbled a tired inquiry. "Hello?"

"G-Gray, I n-need you." Natsu closed his eyes tightly, squeezing the phone with trembling fingers as he tried to contain his rising panic.

"I'm coming," Gray said, his voice instantly awake and calm. "Do you need me to—" Gray's voice cut out as a boom of thunder shook the house, cutting the power lines, and Natsu couldn't stop himself from whimpering as the phone slipped from his fingers and clattered to the floor. He wrapped his arms around his knees and curled into a tight ball, rocking back and forth and trying to ignore the crushing sense of panic and fear looming over him.

Rain battered against the windows like a band of rhythm-challenged tap dancers, accompanied by the crescendo of earth-shaking thunder and bright flashes of lightning that lit up the room like strobe lights. Natsu was curled up in the closet as tightly as possible, finding the complete blackness more soothing than the swirling shadows outside.

Gray arrived only minutes later, but it felt like hours he'd spent huddled in the closet.

Natsu felt cool arms around him as Gray's crisp pepperminty scent filled his nose. He didn't say anything, instead rubbing slow, continuous circles against Natsu's spine, offering comfort in his silence. But it was exactly what Natsu wanted, and needed most. He felt himself relaxing in the gentle embrace, and he fell forward into the hug, gripping fistfuls of Gray's shirt and taking deep, shuddering breaths as he breathed in the calming wintery scent.

He felt himself winding down as his eyelids drooped, and he felt Gray scoop him up and carry him out of the closet. He set him down on his bed and lay beside him, allowing Natsu to curl up against his chest. Finally, after several minutes of silence filled only with the sound of their deep breaths, he said something, whispering it against the skin of Natsu's neck. "You're not alone. I'll protect you, always. I promise."


	10. Day 10: Candy

**A/N:** Trying to get back on track by putting out as many of the missing chapters as I can today, so here's day ten.

* * *

 **Day Ten: Candy**

* * *

"Alright, time for a candy run."

Natsu looked over at his blonde friend from his place on her plush yellow couch and raised a slim eyebrow. "What?"

Lucy, who was standing in the kitchen wearing an apron patterned with fall leaves, placed her hands on her hips. "Halloween's tomorrow, and we don't have any candy. So... it's time for a candy run! C'mon, guys, it'll be fun."

"You always say that," Gray said from his place beside Natsu. "Besides, I'm rather comfortable. You can go by yourself, can't you, Lucy?"

The blonde huffed and gave them both a glare. "You're really going to make me, a helpless, defenseless teenage girl, go to Walmart to buy candy at seven in the afternoon _alone_?"

Natsu rested his head on Gray's shoulder and flipped on the TV. "Yep. Have fun."

Lucy continued glaring at the pair even after they'd turned away, but a sudden idea came to her mind, and her eyes lit up as a mischievous smirk flitted across her face. "I'll buy you guys _whatever_ candy you want."

Natsu cut a long glance his way, but he was turned back around by Gray, who wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "Don't let her sway you. We're stronger than her."

Lucy smiled and crossed her arms, taking a step closer to them. "Gray, _ice creeeaaaaammmm_."

Gray's head snapped in her direction and he narrowed his eyes. "How many?"

"Three containers, full size, and a pack of Thin Mints," Lucy said, grinning. She knew she'd won.

"Dammit," Gray swore, giving Natsu a weak look. " _Ice cream_."

Natsu punched him on the shoulder. "Hey, what happened to "We're stronger than her"?"

" _Ice cream_ ," Gray repeated, clasping his hands together and shooting Natsu a pleading look. The pinkette gave a long sigh. "Okay. But we're getting an industrial sized package of Skittles."

* * *

They walked through Walmart's front doors, and an immediate blast of air-conditioning hit them full-force, making them shiver. Lucy grabbed a cart as the boys walked ahead, pushing and shoving each other like toddlers. They made their way past the fruits and vegetables, down the rows of canned goods and cereal and juice, stopping in the candy aisle at the very end.

Lucy's mouth watered involuntarily as the rainbow of colored candy spread out in front of her, and immediately Natsu and Gray started grabbing things from the shelves and tossing them in the cart. Lucy joined in, allowing herself this small, childish pleasure as she grabbed bags of candy and threw them in, the cart soon as colorful as the shelves around them.

After the candy, they hit the freezer aisle to grab Gray the ice cream he'd been promised. They made a slight detour in the electronics isle to grab a few horror movies, and then made their way to the checkout. The cashier gave them a strange look as they piled the candy and movies on the conveyer belt, and Lucy stifled a giggle as she started putting the junk food in bags.

After they'd paid, they left the store and walked across the parking lot, throwing the bags in the back and leaving the cart on the side. They sang along to the radio at the top of their lungs the entire way home, and when they reached Lucy's house, they unloaded the bags of candy onto the kitchen table. Lucy couldn't resist tearing open a pack of Swedish Fish, and her two friends grabbed bags as well.

By the time they went to bed that night, Lucy was embarrassed to say that they had half the candy they'd arrived with, and Lucy doubted they'd sleep for several weeks.


	11. Day 11: Gore

**A/N:** Day eleven, and I'm finally catching up. Enjoy the chapter! And y'all best be ready for the blood and guts, because today's theme is GORE!

* * *

 **Day Eleven: Gore**

* * *

 _Blood dripped from the space her head used to be, the only evidence of it ever being there the stump of vertebrae sticking out of the ruptured flesh like a broken ivory flagpole. The skin was peeling down like the flesh of a cut fruit, and the blood dripped in thick pools, clotting on the floor and making the air smell of rust. The head lay nearby, its eyes gouged out, leaving gaping red holes in its place, blood trailing from the corners of the decimated irises in crimson rivers of_ —

Natsu shuddered in revulsion and tossed the book as far away as he could, rubbing his arms up and down as shivers traced up his spine. "Nope. Nope. All aboard the nope train to that."

Gray rolled his eyes, picking up the discarded book and placing it safely on the side-table where it wouldn't be stepped on. "I _told_ you it was too gory for you. You never listen, do you?"

"I thought I could handle it," Natsu protested, crossing his arms and puffing out his cheeks. "Lucy said that it wasn't that bad. She read it last year for a Halloween book group, and said it wasn't that scary."

"Well, this is _Lucy_ we're talking about," Gray pointed out incredulously. "Who attended _a_ _Halloween book group_."

Natsu stuck his tongue out at Gray. "Shut up. She knows I don't like gory stuff, so I assumed she'd been nicely suggesting a book to me, but _apparently_ I give our friends way too much credit! Remind me to get back at her one of these days."

Gray wrapped his arms around Natsu from behind and placed a chaste kiss against his cheek. "C'mon, Natsu, she was just trying to break you out of your innocent, idealistic every-day-is-like-a-Nicholas-Sparks'-novel mindset. And to be honest, I agree with her. You should branch out your genre interests a little."

"You _said_ you liked _Dear John_!"

"Yes, well, you told me I looked good in yellow, so we're even."

"You _do_ look good in yellow," Natsu whined feebly, but with little gusto behind it. Gray flicked him on the forehead in response and vaulted over the couch, falling into a sitting position next to him. "Shut up, or I'll tie you up and force you to watch a back-to-back marathon of _Saw_ movies."

" _Mean_ ," Natsu pouted, crossing his arms over his chest as Gray picked up the gory book and opened it up to the page Natsu left off on. His eyes flicked across the lines, going much faster than Natsu's, and he stifled a laugh before flipping the page.

Natsu looked at him suspiciously. "What could _possibly_ be funny in that horribly disgusting book?"

"The fact that Lucy convinced you it wasn't gory," Gray gasped out between snickers. He yelped as Natsu swatted at him, and retreated to the far end of the couch, where he went back to reading. Natsu opted for watching his reactions to the book instead of occupying himself with something else, and they sat there in silence for several minutes as Gray rapidly flipped from page to page.

After about twenty minutes of reading, a flush crept up Gray's neck, and a page later he gasped and closed the book. Natsu raised an eyebrow at him questioningly, and Gray shook his head, covering his face with one hand. "On second thought, I'm glad you don't like gore. Don't ever pick up that book again."

"What?" Natsu asked teasingly. "Is there too much gore for you?"

"No," Gray muttered, still blushing bright red. "More like too much sex."

Natsu burst out laughing, and Gray scowled at him, the affect muted by his red cheeks. Natsu managed to feign a serious expression, and crawled across the coach to whisper in Gray's ear, "Maybe you should branch out your interest in genres. I can help~"

Gray, turning a darker shade of red, kicked him off. "Fuck you."


	12. Day 12: Zombies

**Day Twelve: Zombies**

* * *

Gray wasn't exactly the first person Natsu would pick to survive a zombie apocalypse with. He was irritable, short-tempered, sarcastic, over-confident, narcissistic, and a pessimist, to name a few of his traits. But you don't choose who you survive with. And Natsu had to admit (albeit begrudgingly) that Gray was a fantastic shot, which came in handy days like today.

They were trapped on the hood of a car, surrounded by a horde of 30 zombies, spread out across the desolate city landscape in all directions, filling the streets with their frenzied howls as they tore through their companions in a mad plea to reach the car, and the humans atop it.

Gray was doing most of the fighting, shooting the zombies, and, when that didn't work and they got too close, piking them with his machete. Natsu was the reason the undead were so panicked. He had a wide bloody gash down his right leg, which oozed blood, the rusty smell attracting the zombies, whose noses seemed fine-tuned to detect that very smell. Natsu was doing his best to help, but he was almost imobilized with pain, only managing so shoot the zombies that were the closest to him or Gray.

Natsu had to admit, Gray was doing a hell of a job working mostly by himself. But it wasn't going to be enough. The zombies had dwindled in numbers, of course, and now there were only about 20 or so, which didn't seem like a lot, but when one bite or scratch could kill you, the number seemed insurmountable.

Stabbing another zombie through the skull, Gray lowered the number to 19, grunting as he kicked the fallen corpse off the car, only to make room for another to crawl across the hood, its rotten mouth hanging open like a gaping wound. Natsu shot another. 18. A different zombie quickly replaced its fallen brother.

Gray aimed for it, pulled the trigger. It clicked, the barrel empty, and he cursed and dropped it, looking back at Natsu. The boy gave him a strained smile. "Well, it looks like people do run out of luck. Go on, get out of here."

"As if," Gray said, giving him a reassuring smile. "We're not dying yet." His eyes softened, and he held out a hand to Natsu. "C'mon, what do you say we fight our way out of here?"

Natsu paused for a moment, before grinning and grabbing his hand. "At least we'll go out in style."


	13. Day 13: Howl

**Day 13: Howl**

* * *

You! Yes, you! Stop right there! You're probably thinking this is going to be some cliche Twilight werewolf story. Well, it does involve a werewolf (me), and a vampire (Gray), but... that's not the point! Ahem... Where was I? Ah, yes: You're probably thinking this is going to be some cliche Twilight werewolf story. Well, it's not.

You see, I wasn't born a werewolf. It just sort of... happened. Like, Gray wasn't born a vampire. He actually got turned circa 1834, but that's not important... Anyway, yeah; I wasn't born a werewolf. Now, you're probably wondering how I became one, right? Well, the answer is; in a very, _very_ unpleasant, and _extremely_ painful way.

Imagine your spine stretching out to accommodate the bones of a tail suddenly sprouting from your backside, fur sprouting from every inch of skin you have, your face elongating into a snout as your bones grow bigger, stronger, and very _different_ , and your teeth and nails grow long and sharp. Yeah, it's _about_ as pleasant as it sounds.

Anyway, how it happened is really very uninteresting.

I was a very outdoorsy kid. I loved the outdoors, and fishing, hiking, camping, climbing, really anything I could do outside. Anyway, when I was twelve, I went on this camping trip with my dad, way out into the Rockies to this little secluded spot in the middle of the forest that we often camped at. It was the middle of fall, but unusually hot for November way up in the mountains, so we had to sleep outside in the grass instead of in a tent in sleeping bags like we usually did.

So, two guys, out in the middle of the Rocky Mountains, sleeping outside. Of course they'll have to use the bathroom eventually, which I did. It was nearing midnight, and I decided to go out alone and not wake my dad, because my twelve-year-old logic was obviously perfect. Anyway, I did my business, per the norm, and was turning to go back to the campsite when a large shadowy something pounced on me.

I thought I was going to die. But, let's be real here, who wouldn't? And, looking back on it, I suppose it could've killed me, but it didn't. It left me alive, bit, scratched, more dead than alive, with torn clothes, collapsed in the middle of the forest not ten feet from my dad.

Needless to say, he found me, but not before I changed. The first shift was the worst, and it felt like my bones were being broken one by one and twisted into my skin. It was the worst pain I've ever felt, to this day, and the memory of it is sadly still fresh in my mind,

Being the kid away, I tried to scream during all of this, but the sound that came out wasn't a scream. It was a single, long, low note that tore through the air, as mournful as a violin, no doubt sending shivers up any spine that heard it.

It was a howl.


	14. Day 14: Full Moon

**Day 14: Full Moon**

* * *

"Hey, dad, is it okay if I go to Lucy's house tonight?"

Natsu's dad, Igneel, looked up from his book. "Sure, son. Just don't get too wild."

"Um, what?" Natsu asked, panicked. He was terrified his dad knew that Lucy was having a party, in which case he definitely wouldn't be allowed to go, and would also be grounded for an unforseeable amount of time for lying. He caught himself before he could give anything away and gave a nervous laugh. "Um, I mean, what do you mean?"

Igneel chuckled. "Well, you know what they say, people do crazy things during a full moon."

Natsu paused, glancing out the window at the circle of white light high up in the sky. He nodded. "Right... Thanks, dad."

* * *

Much later, Lucy's party was taking its last dying breaths. Music still strummed from the speakers, but the only ones still dancing were a few drunk girls, who were really just stumbling around and giggling, not really dancing. The house was mostly empty, leaving behind a mess of plastic cups, crumbs, empty bottles, and askew furniture.

Gray, Natsu were acting as the damage-control squad, walking around with trash bags and picking up the discarded trash, while Lucy walked the house from top to bottom, dispelling the few lingering drunken party-goers. Her boyfriend, Loke, was passed out on the couch, snoring, and on the floor beside him was their redheaded friend, Erza, who was stuck in a drunken stupor, murmuring about strawberry cake.

Natsu grabbed a collection of trash from the corner of the room and sighed, wiping the sweat from his forehead and glancing out at the now mostly-cleaned living room. The light from the full moon shone through the windows, making the room almost too bright as it clashed with the indoor florescents.

"Done?" Gray asked from across the room, kicking a couch back in place with his left foot. Natsu nodded, and they deposited their bags in the kitchen garbage, collapsing on the unoccupied couch with heavy, exhausted sighs. The high from the pulsing, crowded party had died, leaving them completely worn out and wishing for a bed to collapse into.

Natsu let his head fall on Gray's chest and in turn the boy slipped an arm around him, as they both settled down into the couch with content sighs. "That was the craziest party I've been to in years," Natsu murmured, closing his eyes and resting his weight fully on Gray's side. "It's like the drinks were cut with Ritalin."

Gray nodded, lazily trailing his fingers through Natsu's hair. "Well, you know what they say." Natsu looked up at him, already seeming to know the answer. Gray looked down at him and smiled. "Crazy things happen during a full moon."


End file.
